MF DOOM was a British-American rapper and record producer. Known for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "supervillain" stage persona, DOOM became a major figure of underground hip hop and alternative hip hop in the 2000s. He's also one of my favourite artists of all time.
DOOM started his solo career after his hip hop trio KMD disbanded upon the death of his brother (who was a member of the group). His first album was 1999's Operation Doomsday. Since then, he continued to expand his discography with solo and collaborative albums until his death in 2020.
THE VILLAIN'S ALBUMS
Operation Doomsday (1999)
Like I said in the intro, this was DOOM's first album after his brother's unfortunate death and the end of KMD. One of my favourite things about this album is its "DIY" vibe, like it's really clear DOOM did all of these songs in his room and invited his friends over to sing with him (and probably smoke weed cuz it's DOOM). It's a very unique one among his other stuff, including some awesome beats. Doomsday and Go with the Flow are phenomenal songs, and nothing puts a bigger smile in my face than the outro of Ryhmes like Dimes.
Mm Food (2004)
I love this album so much! Everything about it is amazing: the beats, the samples, the lyrics, the cover, it's so goddamn perfect and creative! DOOM's food metaphors and jokes in the lyrics are SO GOOD, and there are literally no bad beats in this album. One Beer is one of the best beats in any DOOM album, and Rapp Snitch Knishes and Beef Rap are DOOM's best beats period. I also love the interludes halfway through the album, with the dialogue samples and the old man who's "been running around the woods lately" are great. This is the Villain's greatest solo album without a doubt.
BORN LIKE THIS (2009)
This one's good too. I think the tracks that most stood out to me were the J Dilla produced tracks, GAZZILION EAR and LIGHTWORKS. The latter in specific is one that I'm the most fond of, because when I first heard it in Dilla's Donuts I kinda didn't like it that much. But with DOOM's vocals in BORN LIKE THIS, it got 100 times better. And the track grew on me. J Dilla is an amazing producer, I should probably write one of these little essays on Donuts too. I'm listening to it right now as I write this!
THE VILLAIN TOOK ON MANY FORMS...
The Metal Fingered Villain also goes under many pseudonyms, and has done a lot of collaboration albums during his career. Some of his absolute best stuff is here, so it's worth checking it out too.
Madvillainy (2004)
THIS is peak hip-hop. This is a collaborative album with Madlib, and it has it all: Incredible and intricate lyrics, great use of samples and absolutely godly production. This album is brilliant from start to finish, it's an absolute thrill to listen to this thing. Even the interludes are stellar! A few of my favourites are America's Most Blunted, Raid, Figaro, Accordion, Rhinestone Cowboy, and of course the classic All Caps. It's hard to put into words just how much I love this record, it's so special to me. That said, I can't decide if this is my favourite DOOM record or if it's Mm Food!
THE MOUSE & THE MASK (2005)
This one's a collab with Danger Mouse, a producer that I don't know very well; this is the only album I've listened that is produced by him. It's great though! My favourite part about it is definetely the silly Adult Swim cartoon samples. Sofa King is so good and honestly that sample makes me want to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force everytime I listen to it (but i never do cuz i'm lazy as hell). The Mask is the best song by far in this album, and Crosshairs is cool too. It's not of my favourites, but it's absolutely worth checking out.
Uh, I haven't listened to all of DOOM's albums (his discography is HUGE) but I'll try to keep this page updated with all of his stuff that I have listened so far. There may be a hiatus cause I can eventually go to another artist but I'll try to keep my roots, cause honestly Metalface is really important to me. The Villain basically introduced the wide world of hip-hop for me. He really was something else. Rest in peace, DOOM.